About Us

Our Mission.The Arc of Virginia promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.

Our Vision.People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are valued as classmates, coworkers, neighbors, citizens and friends.

ALife Like Yours. The ALLY Movement is the vision for a community-based system of supports and services that enable individuals to obtain and enjoy A Life Like Yours - a home, a job and a life in the community.

Who we are

Advocacy is key in our identity as The Arc of Virginia. We promote self-advocacy, which equips people with developmental disabilities (DD) and their families from across the state with the tools and resources to advocate for themselves. We work to ensure that self-advocates have a seat at every table where DD policy is discussed and that they have the support needed for meaningful participation.

We meet with legislators and policymakers to explain what is needed to achieve the A Life Like Yours vision, such as: ending the Medicaid Waiver waiting list, which has surpassed 12,000 individuals; improving services offered in the Waiver program; ensuring institutions are closed and community integrated housing and employment is available to all Virginians with DD, and; expanding access to early intervention services and quality education for youth with DD.

The Arc’s strength and voice is critical to shaping solutions and cultivating the political will to resolve the systemic problems in Virginia’s DD service systems. We’ve seen successes over the years; in the 2018 Virginia General Assembly session we achieved increases in the number of Developmental Disability Waiver slots funded and made progress in making inclusive education in the public schools a reality. We stand on the shoulders of those before us, but, there is still plenty of work to be done.

The Arc of Virginia is a state chapter of The Arc of the United States and is comprised of 23 local chapters from across the Commonwealth. Joining a local chapter gives you automatic membership to The Arc of Virginia and The Arc of the United States. When you join The Arc, you strengthen and sustain the A Life Like Yours movement. Contact your local chapterto join The Arc today. If you do not have a local chapter in your community, you can join The Arc of Virginia. If you’re interested in establishing a local chapter in your community, contact Tonya Milling, Executive Director at [email protected] or (804) 649-8481, ext. 101. You can make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. Join us in attaining our vision of a community where people with disabilities are valued as classmates, coworkers, neighbors, citizens and friends!